Stephen R. Rock joined the Vassar faculty in 1987, following a year as a research fellow of the Avoiding Nuclear War Project at Harvard University's Center for Science and International Affairs. Since shortly after his arrival, he has been an active member of the International Studies Program. Mr. Rock's research interests include the origins of great power reconciliation and the efficacy of inter-state influence strategies, including deterrence and appeasement He is also interested in the interplay between religion and politics in the United States and especially the influence of religion on U.S. foreign policy. Mr. Rock teaches courses on international politics, U.S. foreign policy, defense policy and arms control, the causes of war and peace, and just war theory. His publications include:

Why Peace Breaks Out: Great Power Rapprochement in Historical Perspective (University of North Carolina Press, 1989),

Appeasement in International Politics (University Press of Kentucky, 2000),

Faith and Foreign Policy: The Views and Influence of U.S. Christians and Christian Organizations (Continuum, 2011).